Free Audrey Claire - Libby Grace 02 - How to Blackmail a Ghost by Audrey Claire Page B

unless you’re on your way to something important?”
    Sharon froze, her lips parted as if she too rushed to come up with an excuse. At last, she shrugged. “Sure, why not. I don’t have any plans.”
    We were soon ensconced in a booth at Gatsky’s, the only decent restaurant in town. I ordered iced tea, and Sharon raised her eyebrows at me. The suggestion of lunch had been out of habit before I remembered my inability to eat. One would think it would occupy my mind twenty-four hours a day. I guess I was getting good at pretending to be alive.
    “I forgot I’m on a diet,” I lied. “You know the first thing you think of is food in those instances.”
    She patted my hand and then jerked away. “Oh, I think you shocked me.”
    “Sorry about that.” I tucked my hand in my lap.
    “Don’t worry about it, and I know about the diet. I’m not on any diet right now. I’m eating anything I want.”
    “Oh.” Any response I made might offend her, so I kept my comments to myself. Instead I lowered my voice and ducked my head with a conspiratorial attitude. “Did you hear what happened to Sadie Barnett?”
    At my topic, Sharon looked positively green around the gills. “Um, yes, of course. Everybody’s heard. It’s sad, but I bet no one’s really sorry it happened.”
    I heard the sour note, and my suspicions rose. “I agree with you there. She’s always been a nosey thing, and I don’t think there’s a person in Summit’s Edge who hasn’t felt the sting of her loose tongue.”
    Sharon’s hackles rose. “ I haven’t done anything to ever need her to gossip about me.”
    Her words were a dig at me. “Neither have I.” My words sounded hollow and false even to my own ears. “Any idea why anyone would want to kill her?”
    Sharon narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you working for Clark now, or trying to help him in his investigation since you two are dating?”
    All hope of getting any information out of her died. “We are not dating.”
    “So you are working for him?”
    I felt a stubborn streak come on—and probably childish too. I didn’t have to give her any information since she had offered me none. “Is the burger good?”
    She frowned. “The grease doesn’t agree with me. I should have known better.”
    “You’re too young to have food affect you in a bad way,” I complained. “Wait until you turn thirty. Then it’s one thing after another. You have to work harder to stay in shape.”
    “Is that why you’re always running?”
    This seemed to be the day to dig at me, and I was particularly sensitive to it after suffering Mason’s verbal abuse for years. “Could you excuse me for a minute?” I rose before she could answer.
    Making my way down the aisle, I glanced around the restaurant and peered through the window to the kitchen. Monica caught my eye, and I signaled her. She popped through the door, offering me a smile. “How’s lunch going?”
    “You saw me come in with Sharon?”
    She winked and folded her arms over her chest. Monica knew what I was up to from the look she gave me even if she didn’t know all the details. I hadn’t showed her the new letter, but I would later. I took her hand and pulled her into the short hallway near the bathrooms. No one was close enough to overhear or see us.
    “I don’t carry money on me,” I explained. “Can you loan me some to pay for lunch? I will cover it the minute I get home. I promise.”
    She patted my hand. “I got you covered already.”
    “Monica, you are a godsend.” I kissed her cheek, and she beamed.
    “Yes, I am!”
    I returned to the table with Sharon and tried once more to get her to open up. I even shared my own ancient history with Sadie. Sharon stared hard at me. “So you ki—”
    “No!” I thumped a fist on the table. “I wish everyone would stop assuming. Anyway, have you had trouble with her?”
    “Maybe it’s you who are assuming,” Sharon said, and she stood up. I protested when she tossed a couple bills on